Appearance

Special abilities

Skills and abilities
Trained by the New Republic, Kalenda was considered a competent field agent. Her skills included the use of blasters, melee and unarmed combat, pickpocketing, forgery, infiltration techniques, and piloting repulsorlift vehicles and spacecraft. Other fields of knowledge in which Kalenda was proficient included swimming, computer programming, demolitions, machinery repair,[1] and lip reading.[2] By the time of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Kalenda could also speak Huttese.[8]

Mentality

Personal history

In ancient times, Coruscant was populated by two sentient species, the Taung and the Zhell.[6] Though its connection to the human species was unconfirmed, Coruscant was widely accepted as the human homeworld.[56] In time humans expanded throughout the known galaxy, exploring and colonizing vast regions of space, with Coruscant becoming the galactic center of political and cultural life.[5]
Many different political systems held control over Coruscant during its existence, with these systems ranging from brutal empires and dictatorships to democracies.[27] Coruscant was one of the Galactic Republic's original Core World founders, and outmaneuvered its early rivals to become the economic and cultural engine of civilization as it expanded along newly chartered hyperspace routes. As these early hyperspace lanes became well-established trade routes, increasing numbers of alien species migrated towards Coruscant;[5] this would accelerate the construction of new residential levels and sectors for the city-world's booming population even as the growth of its rivals slowed.[57] Coruscant's effective status as the center of the Republic led to it being awarded the coordinates 0-0-0 on all standard navigation charts.[5]

The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was built upon an ancient shrine of the Sith.
The ancient Sith Lords built a shrine on Coruscant. When the Jedi Knights ousted them, they built their temple over it.[19] The victory of the Jedi over the Sith led to the birth of the modern Galactic Republic[58] with Coruscant as its capital.[16] Beings from across the galaxy emmigrated to Coruscant seeking opportunities on the bustling planet. However, many newcomers were ultimately relegated to low-level positions and subjected to a life of crime and violence. Nonetheless, it was largely accepted that whoever controlled Coruscant controlled the galaxy.[5]
Over the millennia representatives gathered in the Galactic Senate for diplomacy and dispute resolutions, creating and enforcing laws, and maintaining peace. As such, Coruscant became known as the galactic capital for thousands of years.[13]
The Galactic Republic
The end of peace
Main article: Republic Era
"I will not let this Republic that has stood for a thousand years be split in two. My negotiations will not fail."
"If they do, you must realize there aren't enough Jedi to protect the Republic. We are keepers of the peace, not soldiers."
―Sheev Palpatine and Mace Windu[2]

The modern Sith secretly inhabited Coruscant, influencing Republic politics and avoiding detection by the Jedi.
It was towards the end of the Republic Era that the Sith Lord Darth Sidious executed his plans for galactic domination, beginning with the blockade of Naboo, his homeworld that he represented as Senator Sheev Palpatine.[59] The Sith Order, having survived its near destruction through Darth Bane's Rule of Two, conspired for generations to reclaim their place of dominance in the galaxy.[60] By Sidious' time, the Sith secretly resided on Coruscant in spite of the Jedi Order's presence on the capital. The Jedi at the time were under the belief that their ancient rivals had been extinct for over a millennium.[15]

The queen of Naboo journeyed to the galactic capital to protest the Trade Federation's invasion of her world.
Under the influence of the Sith, the Trade Federation blockaded and occupied the planet Naboo in 32 BBY,[3] forcing its elected ruler, Queen Padmé Amidala, to flee to Coruscant seeking Senator Palpatine's counsel. Among the queen's retinue was Anakin Skywalker; a former slave from Tatooine, Skywalker was brought to the Jedi Temple by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who believed him to be the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force. In the Senate, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum was unable to respond to the Invasion of Naboo. Amidala, having learned from Palpatine about the corruption in the Republic government, called for stronger leadership by denouncing Valorum as a head of state. Consequently, Valorum was voted out of office and Palpatine was elected as the new Supreme Chancellor.[15] During the early years of Palpatine's chancellery, he brought Skywalker to the lower levels of Coruscant, revealing corruption and the Republic's limitations to the young Jedi apprentice.[50]
A capital at war
Main article: Clone Wars
"Perhaps some unexpected bloodshed on Coruscant, uh, may change a few minds."
"Coruscant? Coruscant has not been attacked in over 1,000 years."
"Then it has a false sense of security."
―Nix Card and Lott Dod[61]

The formation of the Grand Army of the Republic occurred shortly before the first battle of the Clone Wars.
The Clone Wars began with the First Battle of Geonosis in 22 BBY,[3] when the Separatist Crisis that began with the establishment of the Confederacy of Independent Systems escalated into open war between the Republic and the Separatists. In the same year, Amidala became the target of an assassination plot while she was on Coruscant opposing the Military Creation Act. The former queen-turned-senator was saved from the bounty hunters Zam Wesell and Jango Fett through the efforts of Kenobi and Skywalker. While Skywalker escorted Amidala to Naboo for her protection, Kenobi tracked Fett to the extragalactic world of Kamino where he discovered that an army of elite soldiers had been bred from Fett's genetic template. Kenobi followed Fett to Geonosis and learned that several commercial organizations pledged their resources to Count Dooku and the Separatist Droid Army.[2]
Having learned of the Separatists' plan to attack the Republic, the Loyalist Committee gave serious consideration to using the Kaminoan clone troopers as the basis for the Republic Military. Though the Jedi Order had long stood as the Senate's instrument of peace in the galaxy, the limited number of Jedi Knights prevented them from fighting a galactic-scale conflict on their own. Junior Representative Jar Jar Binks, acting on behalf of Naboo in Amidala's absence, proposed a motion to grant emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor. The Senate voted in favor of the Gungan politican's request, allowing Chancellor Palpatine to unilaterally create the Grand Army of the Republic.[2]

The Clone Wars saw the creation of the Coruscant Guard, an elite unit of clone shock troopers.
The Clone Wars became one of the most turbulent times in galactic history[16] and the first, full scale war in over a thousand years.[2] As the capital of the Republic, Coruscant, already a hotbed of political intrigue, became a target for both military and political reasons. Situations and events that were unthinkable centuries before became commonplace.[16] Even prior to the beginning of the war, changes could be seen in the Republic. The Senate, already corrupt and bloated found it difficult to respond, delegating emergency powers to Palpatine. The chancellor himself brought changes such as implementing the use of his personal Red Guards instead of the Senate Guards.[2] During the Clone Wars, the Coruscant Guard was formed to serve as a clone security force for the Republic capital.[62] Composed of elite clone shock troopers, the Coruscant Guard was led by Clone Commander CC-1010 "Fox."[56]

Throughout the conflict, Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine directed the Republic war effort from Coruscant.
As the Grand Army and the Republic Navy spread across the galaxy to defend the Republic, the Jedi, long taking the stand of being peacekeepers instead of soldiers, led the clone troopers as commanders and generals. The dramatic changes were noted by the Jedi and the Republic citizens alike,[63] specifically on Coruscant.[39] Unknown to everyone except a select few, Coruscant was from where the entire war was continually manipulated by Palpatine. As Supreme Chancellor, he took overall charge of the Republic military and directed the war effort from his office in the Senate Office Building.[64] As Darth Sidious he directed Dooku's actions designed to continue the war and further his plans.[65]
During the Clone Wars, Chancellor Palpatine had the Zillo Beast from Malastare transported to Coruscant for scientific research, overruling the objections of his Jedi advisor Mace Windu. Palpatine ordered the Zillo Beast's destruction, but the creature broke out of the Republic Science and Technical Center and proceeded on a rampage across Coruscant's Senate distict. The clone forces on Coruscant converged on the Zillo Beast, using poison gas to kill it while the Jedi protected the chancellor.[30]

A Separatist terrorist attack disabled power to large sections of Coruscant, including its government district.
The Confederate–Republic peace initiative was disrupted by the bombing of Coruscant's central power distribution grid by planetside Separatist agents. Consequently, the Senate voted to deregulate the banking industry, allowing the Republic to take on additional loans for the purpose of purchasing more clones for its army. Unbeknown to the Senate, the attack was supported by Senators Nix Card and Lott Dod, whose respective organizations, the InterGalactic Banking Clan and the Trade Federation, profited from the Clone Wars.[61]

During the late Clone Wars, the Jedi Temple was bombed in a terrorist attack.
Public opinion towards the end of the war, as represented by the citizens of Coruscant, began to turn against the Jedi. Protesters would gather in front of the Temple, blaming the Jedi for the military losses and the Jedi's loss of perspective as keepers of the peace. It was at that time that an explosion occurred at the Jedi Temple docking complex that killed six Jedi and several clone troopers and Temple employees. The investigation by crime scene analysis droid Russo-ISC and Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano found that Letta Turmond, the wife of Temple employee Jackar Bowmani, had fed him volatile nano-droids which then exploded, killing Bowmani and causing the bombing at the Temple. Turmond was arrested and held at the Republic Center for Military Operations.[39]
Tano was subsequently framed for the death of Turmond, who was killed by way of the Force.[35] She escaped to the lower levels of Coruscant, becoming a hunted fugitive while seeking to prove her innocence.[66] After the military recaptured Tano, the former Jedi was put on trial for treason against the Galactic Republic. However, the charges against her were dropped when the rogue Jedi Barriss Offee confessed to the crimes that Tano had been accused of.[67] Though she remained on Coruscant,[68] Tano left the Jedi Temple after deciding to not rejoin the Jedi Order.[67]
Showdown on Coruscant
"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you're under arrest, Chancellor."
―Mace Windu, to Darth Sidious[38]

The Battle of Coruscant erupted at the height of the Clone Wars, with Republic forces engaging the Separatists in the planet's stratosphere.
Throughout the Clone Wars, Palpatine had remained a popular leader, remaining in office at the will of the Senate for far longer than his term technically allowed.[38] During this period, Palpatine continued to consolidate and centralize his own power.[61][69][70] By 19 BBY, the third and final year of the war,[3] Coruscant's defenses were spread thin. The Separatists had been pushed back to the Outer Rim Territories, and could not risk a direct strike at the heart of the Republic. Coruscanti citizens, used to having the war fought far from the capitol, were just as surprised as the Coruscant Home Defense Fleet when a Separatist assault force launched a surprise attack on the planet.[71] During the Battle of Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine was captured and taken to the Separatist flagship, the Invisible Hand, where he was rescued by the Jedi Knights Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi.[38]
After the death of Count Dooku, the Jedi on Coruscant focused their efforts on locating General Grievous, the Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies. Despite the Republic's success in the Outer Rim Sieges, relations were strained between the Jedi High Council and the Supreme Chancellor. Suspicious of the chancellor's motives, the High Council tasked Skywalker with spying on Palpatine after he had made the young Jedi Knight the Office of the Chancellor's representative on the Council. During the final days of the Clone Wars, Grand Master Yoda and the 41st Scout Battalion departed from Coruscant to defend the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. Shortly afterward, the High Council dispatched Kenobi and his 212th Attack Battalion to Utapau, the planet where Grievous had been located by Clone Intelligence.[38]

With Anakin Skywalker's help, Darth Sidious killed Mace Windu on Coruscant.
With the Clone Wars nearing its conclusion, Chancellor Palpatine revealed his secret identity as the Dark Lord of the Sith to Skywalker. Acting on Skywalker's report, Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin, and Agen Kolar tried to arrest Sidious. The ensuing lightsaber duel resulted in the deaths of Kolar, Tiin, and Fisto; although Sidious was disarmed by Windu, he succeeded in killing the Jedi Order's champion due to the interference of Skywalker, who believed the chancellor's claims of possessing the power to save others from death. As a consequence, Skywalker renounced the Jedi and assumed the mantle of a Sith as Darth Vader.[38]
The Galactic Empire
The end of the Republic
Main article: Proclamation of the New Order
"So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause."
―Padmé Amidala — Listen (file info)[38]

The Galactic Republic became the Galactic Empire in the aftermath of the Clone Wars.
As part of his endgame, Sidious issued Order 66 to the entire Grand Army of the Republic,[38] using hidden inhibitor chips[72] to force the clone troopers into killing their Jedi Generals.[73] On Coruscant, the Great Jedi Purge commenced with Vader and the 501st Legion's Siege of the Jedi Temple.[38] With the clone army under his control,[73] Sidious claimed the title of Galactic Emperor after issuing the proclamation of the New Order in a special session of Congress, declaring a new era of order and security under the first Galactic Empire. The Separatist attack on Coruscant had exposed the capital's vulnerability,[71] which, combined with Sidious' allegation of a "Jedi rebellion," compelled the Senate to support the Emperor and his New Order.[38]
Yoda and Kenobi returned to Coruscant in the aftermath of Order 66. After learning of Skywalker's turn to the dark side of the Force, the two Jedi Masters resolved to destroy the Sith. Kenobi left Coruscant to find his fallen apprentice, whereas Yoda remained on the capital to confront the Emperor. However, Yoda failed to defeat Sidious; as a consequence, he exiled himself to Dagobah. Meanwhile, Vader was grievously injured on Mustafar by Kenobi, resulting in his reconstruction on Coruscant as a cyborg.[38]
Imperial capital
Main article: Imperial Era
"I removed the infection before it could spread."
"By cutting a swath of destruction across my capital world!"
―Darth Vader and Darth Sidious after the rogue Inquisitor chase[74]

Sidious' accession as Emperor heralded the dawn of a new era for Coruscant and the galaxy.
After Palpatine's accession to power, changes came quickly to Coruscant, formally renamed as Imperial Center, and the Galactic City to Imperial City.[54] The Jedi Temple and its surrounding serene complex became the home of the new Emperor. While the spires of the Temple remained in place, the rest of the structure was heavily remodeled and expanded with sloping facades and block-shaped additions. The entire area was known as the Federal District, with the Imperial Palace forming one point of the so-called supreme triangle. The other two points were the byzantine COMPNOR arcology, which contained the headquarters of the Imperial Security Bureau, and the new Naval Intelligence Agency headquarters, a near-windowless complex which formerly housed the Republic's strategic center. The cityscape of Coruscant changed as well. Buildings were stripped of their elegant Republic dressings in favor of sleek lines and block-like surfaces, and many smaller buildings became engulfed into larger buildings. Some areas changed so quickly that they were not recognizable to those who had seen them only a few years before.[19]

The Emperor's reign lasted for decades with Coruscant serving as his throneworld.
The Empire's policies against non-humans and its tightening control of the population caused unrest, especially among the alien populations of the underworld. As the Galactic Civil War took shape, the Empire began moving its Mon Calamari population on Coruscant. The aggressiveness of the forced relocations caused rioting to erupt in the Old Market Sector, which was brutally put down by Imperial forces. After the destruction of the planet Alderaan by the Death Star, rumors of what occurred began reaching the Alderaanian population on Coruscant, most of whom lived on Level 3204. Vigils soon became heated and angry when it became known that the Empire had destroyed the planet. For several days, rioting continued until the combined efforts of the Coruscant Security Force and Imperial stormtroopers restored order by firing indiscriminately into the crowds. The crowds, frightened, quickly dispersed. The following day, the Coruscant police arrested anyone caught out in the streets. The day after that, stormtroopers began going door to door stating that Rebel spies had recruited local residents and that Alderaanians had to be taken in for questioning.[75]
Planetary civil war
Main article: Coruscant civil war
"It is a symbol of our indolence and torpidity. It is the moldering core of our overripe fruit and I wish to cut away such rot so as to preserve our sweet remains and of course the seeds within."
―Gallius Rax[31]

The death of Emperor Palpatine was celebrated by the citizens of Coruscant, who rebelled against Imperial rule.
In 4 ABY,[3] the Rebel Alliance managed to defeat the Empire in the penultimate Battle of Endor. With both the Emperor and his apprentice dead, due to being killed during the destruction of the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station, the citizens of Coruscant rejoiced, pulling down statues of Palpatine, overwhelming the stormtroopers on the streets, and setting off chimes and fireworks.[76] Police forces on speeders quickly entered the plaza and opened fire on the crowds without warning, killing many who were present. Present Coruscanti erupted into full-scale rioting. Blaster fire and fighting soon erupted across the capital between Coruscanti and the Imperial security forces.[77]

Grand Vizier Mas Amedda struggled to maintain control over Coruscant as the Empire crumbled around him.
In the ensuing months the New Republic was formed and re-established the Galactic Senate on Chandrila.[77] Meanwhile, Coruscant dissolved into a true state of civil war, with some sectors entrenching themselves with Rebel resistance fighters, while other sectors actively fought against their neighbors and supported the Imperial forces. As the Empire fractured all over the galaxy, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda took control of Imperial forces on Coruscant[31] and the Coruscanti government.[46] However, the Imperial Navy withdrew support from the throne world as Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax refused to allow Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, the figurehead of the Navy, to send reinforcements to the planet. Rax, leader of the Shadow Council that secretly guided the Empire in its final days, saw the planet as representing the "decay" that caused the Empire's downfall.[31]
In this vacuum, the Imperial Security Bureau was left to coordinate Coruscant's Imperial forces. Grand Vizier Mas Amedda remained the planet's administrator and de-facto head of the Empire, but held no real power. The ISB established a nominal blockade around the planet utilizing ISB spaceships and coordinated the efforts of present security forces and stormtroopers. The Verity and Federal District were heavily fortified with checkpoints and barricades. Coruscant skylanes were diverted, and ISB crafts flew on patrol. Smoke rose from damaged vehicles and buildings as a fierce guerrilla war consumed the entire planet. Amedda, in despair and desperation, sought to turn himself over to New Republic Chancellor Mon Mothma and Princess Leia Organa. However, they refused to take him prisoner, instead insisting that he find a way to capitulate the Empire and sign a full surrender.[31]
Galactic Concordance
"Mas Amedda has come out of hiding and wants to sign a cease-fire. He wants to end it. All of it."
―Mon Mothma[47]

Following the Battle of Jakku, the Galactic Empire ceded control of Coruscant to the New Republic.
By the time of the Battle of Jakku, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda was kept under house arrest by Counselor to the Empire Rax at the Imperial Palace. There, he was forced to make propaganda broadcasts and was treated like a virtual captive. Later, he was rescued by members of a child resistance group known as the Anklebiter Brigade, who had initially come to assassinate him. Amedda managed to persuade the child resistance fighters to help him escape so that he could end the Galactic Civil War. After emerging from hiding, Amedda contacted Chancellor Mothma to surrender.[47] Following the signing of the Imperial Instruments of Surrender and the Galactic Concordance on Chandrila, the Empire surrendered to the New Republic[47] and ceded Coruscant over to the fledgling galactic government[48] with Mas Amedda being permitted to form a provisional government on Coruscant, along with Republic observers to ensure that it remained powerless under a figurehead leader. Following the Imperial surrender, weeks of celebrations took place in the streets and rooftops of Coruscant as the population celebrated the end of Imperial rule on Coruscant.[47]
The New Republic
Post-Imperial years
"The capital of the Old Republic was within the Core on a planet called Coruscant. The capital of the New Republic is currently on the planet Chandrila, which is also within the Core region."
―Unidentified protocol droid teacher[78]

The status of galactic capital was taken from Coruscant and given to other planets in the New Republic, such as Hosnian Prime.
With the Galactic Civil War concluded, the New Republic sought to reshape galactic politics in an effort to both prevent the abuses of the Old Republic and bring in disaffected worlds that had seceded from the Republic prior to the Clone Wars. To accomplish this, the new Senate decided that all worlds would have an equal say in their government, and as such all worlds had an equal chance of hosting the New Republic's capital on a rotating basis, rather than simply remaining on Coruscant alone.[48] Coruscant ultimately joined the New Republic as a member world, becoming part of a political coalition known as the Centrists. The faction that Coruscant was associated with lobbied for centralized rule akin to the system that defined the Old Empire. Their views were diametrically opposed to that of the Populists who sought to limit the galactic government's involvement in the affairs of its constituent worlds.[79]
Coruscant was represented in the New Republic Senate by senior senator Arbo and junior senator Orris Madmund at the time of the Amaxine warrior crisis. By then, the Core World Hosnian Prime had been designated as the capital of the New Republic. Senator Arbo was a known Centrist, war hawk, and supporter of the New Republic Defense Force.[79] After the Senate's failed attempt to elect a First Senator, the Centrists seceded from the New Republic and formed the political branch of the First Order.[58]
The fall of Coruscant
"Coruscant's descent into lawlessness is one of the greatest tragedies of our age. What a rich history!"
―DK-RA-43[80]

Lawlessness and gang warfare became commonplace on Coruscant, a fate lamented by Hondo Ohnaka.
Despite being a part of the New Republic,[79] the planet actually fell under the control of criminal syndicates after the Empire's fall. By the time following the Battle of Crait[80] in 34 ABY,[81] even the respectable areas of Coruscant were roamed by gangs. Gangs fought a bloody conflict for control of the glittering world's districts. Tourism to the once-galactic capital all but vanished, and, for an individual to be safe, they needed to afford protection like droids and armed guards. Accordingly, the city world was not a symbol of galactic possibilities. Instead, it represented the disturbing realities of the galaxy's current time period.[80]
The pirate Hondo Ohnaka, who was saddened by Coruscant's current state, included the planet in his book titled Galactic Explorer's Guide. Within the book, RA-7 protocol droid DK-RA-43 described Coruscant's fall from grace into lawlessness as one of the greatest tragedies of their current era.[80] In 35 ABY,[82] Coruscant was in open rebellion against the First Order.[49]

Education

Points of interest
Bureau of Ships and Services Heritage Museum[12]
CoCo Town[17]
Federal District[5]
500 Republica[1]
Galactic Courts of Justice[5]
Imperial Palace[18][19]
Imperial Inspectorate HQ[20]
Galactic Senate Building[10]
Imperial Executive Building[21]
Forbidden levels[22]
Grand Republic Medical Facility[5]
Lost Museum[22]
Lower market districts[23]
Military District[24]
Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center[25]
Monument Plaza[26]
Manarai range[27]
Museum of Multispecies Sciences[28]
Port Quarter[29]
Eastern spaceport[29]
Western spaceport[29]
Republic Science and Technical Center[30]
Coruscant Underworld[1]
Uscru District[10]
Galaxies Opera House[1]
Outlander Club[5]
The Works[1]
Verity District[31]
Hall of Imperial Register[31]

Employment

Region
Core Worlds[1]
The Interior[2]
Sector
Corusca sector[1]
Coruscant subsector[1]
System
Coruscant system[3]
 
Galactic Senate[16]
Coruscanti government[46]
Coruscant provisional government[47]

Intellectual Characteristics

Native species
Human[45] (disputed but generally accepted)[4]
Taung (historically)[6]
Zhell (historically)[6]
Immigrated species
Besalisk[2]
Balosar[2]
Bith[15]
Cerean[15]
Cosian[33]
Gran[15]
Iktotchi[15]
Iridonian[15]
Kel Dor[15]
Lannik[15]
Nautolan[38]
Ongree[38]
Patrolian[43]
Quermian[15]
Salenga[43]
Thisspiasian[15]
Tholothian[15]
Togruta[38]
Trandoshan[43]
Twi'lek[2]
Vurk[2]
Yoda's species[15]

Known Languages

Primary language(s)
Galactic Basic Standard[10]
Thousands of others[10]

Personality

Social